Vice Media gets TV channel in deal with A&E

Vice Media is getting its own cable television channel in a deal with A&E Networks that brings the youth-focused media group to the mainstream.

Announced Tuesday, the joint venture will launch a new channel tentatively called Viceland early next year, reaching some 70 million households.

The channel "will feature hundreds of hours of completely new programming developed and produced entirely in-house by the young creative minds that are the heart and soul of Vice," according to a joint statement.

The deal will transform A&E's channel H2 with a slate of new and adapted shows from Vice.

"This network is the next step in the evolution of our brand and the first step in our global roll-out of networks around the world," said Shane Smith, Vice's co-founder and chief executive.

Smith said the new channel "allows us to be truly platform-agnostic and enable our audience to view our content wherever they want."

Known for its online videos, Vice operates a popular YouTube channel and also produces news programming for Time Warner's HBO. In France it produces a daily news segment for France 4 television.

While Vice has cultivated a "bad boy" image, its success has captured the attention of the media world as it connects with young audiences.

Vice has gained notoriety for sending former NBA star Dennis Rodman to North Korea in 2013. It also won praise for a five-part documentary on the inner workings of IS, the militant Islamist group in the Middle East.

"Vice has a bold voice and a distinctive model in the marketplace," said A&E president and CEO Nancy Dubuc.

"This channel represents a strategic fit and a new direction for the future of our portfolio of media assets."

The Wall Street Journal reported that Vice was set to get a $200 million investment from Walt Disney Co., which would come on top of $500 million already raised.

Investors in Vice include the Murdoch family's 21st Century Fox, A&E and the Technology Crossover Venture fund.